SF3 - the SmartFone Flick Fest is Australia’s international smartphone film festival.

Open to filmmakers of all ages from every country; from first-time filmmakers to professionals. As long as your film is shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet, your film is eligible for submission. Our 2021 Festival Ambassadors are Hollywood legend Phillip Noyce, Kerry Armstrong, Christopher Stollery, Kriv Stenders, Nicole da Silva, Jason van Genderen, Emily Prior, Stan Grant, Wayne Blair, Jon Bell & Wanuri Kahiu.

We have 5 categories in 2021. They are:

1. The SF3 Best Film for short films 20 mins and under. The films must be entirely shot on smartphones or tablets, with the exception that a very minimal amount of Drone footage is allowed. The films can be edited on any device and with any program and external equipment like lenses and mics can be used. Within this category we will also award the #FILMBREAKER Award for first-time filmmakers and the Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award for films both shot and edited on a mobile device as additional prizes. The Official Selection from this category will be screened in our 2021 Gala Finals and will vie for our top prizes.

2. The SF3 Best Feature Film. This is for feature films shot entirely on smartphones and tablets. A minimal amount of drone footage is allowed. Films must be from 40 mins and no maximum.

3. The SF3 Kids Award for filmmakers 16 and under at the time of filming. All films must be shot entirely on smartphones and tablets. A minimal amount of drone footage is allowed. The time limit is up to 20 mins.

4. The SF360 Award for 360 and VR videos up to 20 mins.

5. A new category will be announced in 2021 for films up to 3 mins. Stay tuned!

Everyone has a great idea for a short film and a potential movie camera in their pocket, so no excuses. Here’s your chance to start filming and be in the running to share in over $40,000 worth of prizes awarded annually, and have your film screened on one of Australia's premiere screens in front of a global audience at our 2021 Festival, November 27th and 28th, 2021. The festival will be both live and online, current Covid restrictions depending.

Our finalist films and one feature film will be selected from all the entries to screen at SF3 2021. Last year we screened 85 films across all our categories! We will be holding live screenings and awards in Sydney, Australia and our festival will include live screenings, red-carpet events, VIP party, networking events and masterclasses. If the Covid-19 situation and lockdowns have not eased, we will host SF3 2020 online.

In 2019 and 2020, SF3 was held at Event Cinemas, George St, right in the heart of Sydney, Australia. We were one of the few festivals to go live in 2020 in a sell-out Sydney show! Our 2018 Gala Finals were also a complete sell-out at the Sydney Opera House and our SF3 Kids and Shortlist Screenings were held at Event Cinemas Bondi Junction. From 2015-2018 we held our Gala Finals at the iconic art deco Chauvel Cinema in Paddington, Sydney. We are passionate advocates for the showcasing of the best smartphone films from all around the world, show up on Sydney's top big screens.

Many of our past Top Ten and shortlisted films have been invited to screen around the world at our partner film festivals including the International Mobil Film Festival in San Diego, the Syria Mobile Film Festival and more. The opportunities are endless for smartphone filmmakers.

All films MUST be shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet, meet our time requirements and you can use any editing software, apps and phone additions, and you can edit on a PC, laptop, tablet or your phone.

So, pull your phone out of your pocket and start filming, it really is that easy!

Awards & Prizes

SF3 is proud to award over $40,000 worth of prizes from our amazing sponsors including prize packs from our Gala Presenting Partner - AFTRS, our Major Sponsors - Luma Touch, Silver partner - Filmic Pro, our Bronze Partners - Chicken & Chips Casting, Old Kempton Distillery, NIDA & Accounting Heart and prize partners Shotlister, Ink Tip, Final Draft, Rode, Screen Actors Workshop, Power Productions and Story Board Quick, the Australian Cinematographer's Society, Screen Producers Australia, the Australian Writer's Guild, the Australian Director's Guild, SPA, iPitch TV, Laugh Masters Academy, Ribbet, AFI/AACTA, Backstage, AGSC, Brazen Lot, Film Local, Palace Cinemas & the Actors Centre Australia

Prizes awarded: In 2021 we will be offering 31 Awards across our screenings. Here is the breakdown of awards across each screening with a full list of prizes coming soon. Annually we give away over $40,000 worth of prizes from our generous sponsors including memberships, apps, lenses, microphones, classes, mentorships and soo much more.

THE SF3 GALA AWARDS
SF3 Best Film Award
SF3 People’s Choice Award
SF3 Best Director Award
SF3 Best Cinematography Award
SF3 & ACS Best Cinematography Runner-Up Award
SF3 Best Screenplay Award
SF3 Best Documentary Award
SF3 Best Editing Award
SF3 Best Original Score Award
SF3 Best Actress Award
SF3 Best Actor Award
SF3 & Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award (for films both shot and edited on a mobile device)
SF3 & WIFT Australia Best Female Creative Award
SF3 First Nations Award (for films made by a filmmaker that identifies as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander)
SF3 Community & Diversity Award (for a film that is either shot by or that is about and features stories, creatives, filmmakers and actors from under-represented communities)
SF3 Founders’ Flick Pick
#FILMBREAKER Award (for the most promising first-time and/or emerging filmmaker)

SF3 KIDS
SF3 Kids Best Film Award Teens
SF3 Kids Best Film Award Junior
SF3 Kids Best Director Award
SF3 Kids Best Cinematography Award
SF3 Kids Best Screenplay Award
SF3 Kids Best Actor Award
SF3 Kids Best Actress Award

SF3 MINI
SF3 Mini Best International Film
SF3 Mini Best Australian Film
SF3 Mini Highly-Commended Awards x4

SF3 FEATURE FILM
SF3 Best Feature Film Award

SF360
SF3 Best 360 and VR Film

Rules & Terms

The rules are simple:
1. Your film must be shot entirely on a smartphone or tablet, or a 360 camera for SF360. The only exception is we will allow a small amount of drone footage. The amount is discretionary but must be an insignificant amount of your film and used only sparingly.
2. Films for SF3 Official Selection must be no longer than 20 minutes including titles and credits. There is no minimum time limit. Films for the SF3 Iso Category must be a max of 3 minutes.
3. Films for our feature film category must be a minimum of 40 minutes in length, no maximum time limit.
4. All 360 and VR entries to SF360 must be a maximum of 20 minutes with no minimum time limit.
5. SF3 accepts any and all genres.
6. All scripts and ideas must be your original material.
7. Copyright material can only be used if you have written permission to do so, and we can ask at anytime to see this permission.
8. You can use any software or apps to edit your video and audio, and can edit on any device.
9. You can use any software for colour correction or special effects.
10. You can use external microphones, lenses, lighting, tripods, etc.
11. Your film must meet all the terms and conditions of the festival to be eligible.
12. The judges’ decisions are final and no correspondence will be entered into regarding film selections and prize winners.
13. SF3 Kids Flicks Category and Competition is for Australian and International filmmakers aged 16 years and under at the time of filming. A kids film for the purposes of SF3 is a film who's director and/or screenwriter are 16 years or under at the time of filming. All other roles on the film, including the DOP and actors and editors may include people of all ages, however, the film must be the idea of a filmmaker 16 years and under and all concepts of editing, camera angles and all other relevant artistic choices must be primarily decided upon by the filmmaker 16 years and under who enters the film.
14. SF3 is open to filmmakers from every country.
15. Films will be accepted from filmmakers of every age.
16. The WIFT Australia Award is for the best female creative, decided by our judges, who worked on one of our Official Selection films in a crew capacity, not limited to the producer, writer, DP, etc. The director of each film will be asked to nominate an outstanding female that worked on their film, and this can include themselves.
17. The SF3 Community Award is for a film which showcases stories, actors and/or people that are under-represented on our screens and showcases them in a moving, positive, or special way. This will be decided by our judging panel.
18. The Luma Touch Finished on Mobile Award is for a smartphone film that must be both completely shot and edited on smartphones or tablets only. You may use any editing program, but you must show us evidence that it was edited on a device; evidence includes screenshots of you editing or a short BTS of you editing the film.
19. To be eligible for the SF3 Best Feature Film Award, your film must be a Sydney public premiere, but it is allowed to have screened in other cities and countries.
20. In special circumstances archival footage may be used in a very minimal amount to add context or needed substance to your film. You must email us at sf3@sf3.com.au for permission.
21. The SF3 First Nations Award is open to Australian filmmakers who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
22. For the #FILMBREAKER Award, this must be your first film you've ever made or the first film that has had a public screening.
Check out our site for full T&C's and to ask any questions - www.sf3.com.au
42 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Paul London

    Fantastic festival! Very good communication. Thanks so much.

    May 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Paul, Thank you soo much for your kind words and thank you for being an integral part of what we do.

  • Katherine Scott

    A wonderful festival. Angela and Ali are extremely professional, warm and passionate about independent filmmaking.

    January 2021
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    Response from festival:

    Hi Katherine, thank you soo much. Love your words and hope to see many more films from you throughout the years.

  • Marisa Riley

    Was so honored to be a part of this! They put on such a great fest this year, what a cool way of recognizing smartphone filmmakers. Can't wait to submit again, thanks y'all!

    November 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Hi Marisa, Thank you soo much and thank you for your extraordinary and crazy funny film. Love it every time we watch it!

  • Cassius Rayner

    Very professional, top festival just excellent and communication was fantastic

    November 2020
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you Cassius, it is an honour to have you in our festival.

  • adamss McGarcia

    AMAZING FESTIVAL!!!
    Loved it ,even though we are an ocean apart ,it totally felt right next to it! Amazing communication, fantastic Gala, superb selection of Films!!
    Congrats to all the winners, that by the way they are topnotch films, my favourite "THRESHOLD" feature film, just to name one ,,

    I can't wait for the next year's festival!!

    Thank you SF3 Team

    November 2020
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